Which doctrine allows pat-down of the outside of clothing for weapons and seizure of apparent contraband based on contour or mass?

Which doctrine allows pat-down of the outside of clothing for weapons and seizure of apparent contraband based on contour or mass?

• A. Plain feel doctrine
• B. Plain view doctrine
• C. Stop and frisk doctrine
• D. Exclusionary rule

Answer: (A)

The idea being tested is detecting contraband by touch during a lawful pat-down. Under a Terry stop, an officer may perform a protective frisk to check for weapons. If, during that pat-down, the officer feels an item whose illicit nature is immediately obvious from its contour or mass, the item may be seized without a warrant. This is the plain feel doctrine, established to allow quick seizure of contraband when the authority can identify it by touch alone and without further manipulation. The key is immediacy—the contraband must be recognizable right away, not through extended searching or handling. If the item isn’t readily identifiable by feel, the officer should refrain from seizing it. This differs from plain view, which relies on visual detection, and from broader stop-and-frisk or exclusionary-rule concepts, which address different aspects of legality and admissibility.

The idea being tested is detecting contraband by touch during a lawful pat-down. Under a Terry stop, an officer may perform a protective frisk to check for weapons. If, during that pat-down, the officer feels an item whose illicit nature is immediately obvious from its contour or mass, the item may be seized without a warrant. This is the plain feel doctrine, established to allow quick seizure of contraband when the authority can identify it by touch alone and without further manipulation. The key is immediacy—the contraband must be recognizable right away, not through extended searching or handling. If the item isn’t readily identifiable by feel, the officer should refrain from seizing it. This differs from plain view, which relies on visual detection, and from broader stop-and-frisk or exclusionary-rule concepts, which address different aspects of legality and admissibility.